of beaver crossing



F. R. OWENS March 1, 1932.

PARACHUTE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Uriginal Filed Aug. 10, 1927 March 1 1932.

F. R. OWENS PARACHUTE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Aug. 10. 1927jzaezfar:

Reissued Mar. 1, 1932 UNITED STATES Re. 18,366 v PATENT OFFICE ERANKowENS, or BEAVER oROSsINe, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR TO owENs rARAcHu'rECORPORATION, OF BEAVER CROSSING, NEBRASKA, A CORPORATION or NEBRASKAPARACHUTE Original No. 1,887,884, dated October 16, 1928, Serial No.212,055, filed August 10, 1927. Application for reissue filed October15, 1930, Serial No. 488,956. I

The present invention relates to parachutes and has for its principalobject to provide a device of this character which will open withoutfail when making a descent therewith. Other objects are simplicity andcheapness of construction. Further objects and advantages will appearfrom the following specification and claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional view showing the parachute when open.

Figure 2 is a bottomplan view of the parachute when open.

Figure 3 is a detail view showing the stop which prevents the parachutefrom opening beyond the desired spread.

Describing the invention in detail, provided within the dome of theparachute is a'canvas tube 13 secured at its upper end to the body 10and in spaced relation thereto by means of straps 14: of canvas or othersuitable material which may be sewed to the body portion 10 and to thesides of the cylinder. There ma be any number of these straps, but I preer to use four, spaced at equal intervals about the cylinder. Bound inthe lower endof the tube 13 I provide a metallic ring 15 which is heldto the tube by folding the material thereabout and forming a line ofstitches 16 therein.

A rope 17 to which the operator may hold in making a descent has itsupper end attached to the tube 13 by means of branches 18 splicedtheretdand having their upper ends looped at 19 through apertures 20 aboutthering 15. The lower edge of the dome of the parachute is folded uponitself to form a hem.21 and is provided with spaced apertures 22, theedges of which are bound by eyelets 23 and secured in these eyelets Iprovide a plurality of tie ropes 24, the upper ends of. which aresecured in the eyelets 23 and the lower ends converge to connect withthe flan e 25 formed on the ferrule 26 which is slida le on the rope 17.The ropes are connected to the fiange 25 by looping the rope as at 27through apertures 28 formed in said flange.

A stop 29 is provided on the rope above the ferrule and is secured tothe rope against sliding therealong by any suitable means as by a setscrew 30. This stop is locked in such a position along the rope 17 so asto prevent the dome of the parachute from turning wrong side out. Thetube 13, it will be noted, is of such a length that when the dome of theparachute is collapsed thereabout the lower end of the tube will projectbeyond the lower end of the dome of the parachute.

In operation it will be readily. seen that when an operator is making adescent from a flying machine, when he throws the parachute to thebreeze air will immediately pass through the tube 13 for the reason thatthe lower end thereof is held constantly open by the ring 15. Airpassing upward through the tube will spread out from its upper end,filling the dome of the parachute and cansing it to spread to openposition, as shown in Figure 1. It is to be understood that the weightof the operator will all be .on the lower end of the tube 13 until thedome of the parachute is fully open, from which time the weight will beon the ropes 24 and the parachute will support practically all of theweight. It will be readily seen that by the above construction danger ofmaking a jump and having the parachute fail to open is practicallyeliminated and danger from said leaps in the air will be greatlyminimized.

'Having described my invention what I claim is:

1. Aparachute having a dome of flexible 7 material, a tube securedtherein by one end, said end being in spaced relation to the dome of theparachute, a rigid ring secured in the lower end of the tube, a ropesecured to said ring, ropes secured to the lower edge of the dome of theparachute and having a slidable connection with the first mentionedrope.

' 2. A parachute comprising a dome of flexible material, a tubularmember having one end thereof secured within the dome of the parachuteand in spaced relation to the walls thereof, a rigid ring secured in'thelower end of the tube, a rope secured to said ring, a plurality of ropesconnected in spaced relation to the lower edge of the dome of theparachute and having a sliding connection with the rope secured to thetube, said tube being of a length to project below the lower end of thebody of the parachute when the same is collapsed about said tube.

3. In a parachute, a body portion of flex-I ible material when opened inthe form of a dome, a flexible tubular member having flexible connectionwith the top of the dome and being of a length to project beyond thelower end of the dome when the dome is collapsed thereabout, a ringsecured in the lower end of the tube, a rope having branches, connectedto the tube, ropes connected to the lower edge of the dome-of theparachute and having sliding connection with the rope connected to thetube, and a stop for preventing the sliding connection from slidingbeyond a predetermined point on said rope.

4. In a parachute, a canopy, shroud lines connected with the edges ofsaid canopy, a cable connected with a center portion of said canopy andadapted to become taut while said shroud lines are yet loose as theparachute goes into operation, a stop member secured to said shroudlines, and a second stop member secured to said cable and adapted toengage the first said stop member only after a predetermined relativemovement of said cable with respect to said shroud lines.

5. In a parachute, a canopy, shroud lines connected with edge portionsof said canopy, a cable connected with a center portion of said canopyand adapted to receive the parachute load wholly and automatically uponinitial opening, means connecting the lower ends of said shroud linestogether, and means comprising'a lost-motion connection between saidshroud line connecting means and cable operative upon opening of saidcanopy to a predetermined extent to transfer a portion of the tension ofa load from said cable onto said shroud lines.

6. In a parachute, a canopy, shroud lines connected with edge portionsof said canopy, means connected with a center portion of said canopy anddepending therefrom between said shroud lines, means connecting saidshroud lines in relatively fixed relation at a predetermined distancefrom said canopy, meansadapted for securing a load to the first saidmeans, and means initially unconnected with said connecting means forautomaticall transferring at least a portion of the load from the firstsaid means to said shroud lines after a predetermined opening of saidcanopy.

7. ln a parachute, a canopy, shroud lines secured and depending fromspaced places adjacent the edge of said canopy, a flexible membersecured to a center portion of said canopy and depending therefrombetween said shroud lines, a stop member secured to said shroud lines, asecond stop member secured to said flexible member, said stop membersbeing interengageable only after a predetermined relative movement tolimit upward movement of said shroud lines relative to said flexiblemember beyond a predetermined distance and means depending from saidsecond stop member for engagement with a load.

8. In a parachute, a canopy, a plurality of shroud lines secured to anddepending from spaced places adjacent the edge of said canopy, aflexible member secured to a center portion of said canopy and dependingtherefrom between said shroud lines, a stop member secured to saidshroud lines and holding said shroud lines in relatively fixed spacedrelation to one another, a second stop member secured to said flexiblemember, said stop members being interengageable after a predeterminedrelative movement to limit upward movement of said shroud lines relativeto said flexible member beyond a predetermined distance, and meansdepending from said stop members when interengaged for engagement with aload.

9. A parachute comprising a canopy, shroud lines connected at one end ofeach with an edge portion of said canopy, flexible means connected witha center portion of the normal underside of said canopy and dependingbetween said shroud lines, means secured to said shroud lines forguiding said flexible means with respect to and between said shroudlines, and an abutment secured to said flexible means between said guidemeans and the connection of said flexible means to a center portion ofthe canopy and normally l engageable with said guide means only after apredetermined opening of said canopy. In witness whereof I have aflixedmy signature.

FRANK R. OWENS.

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